Belle Cake

I decided to give Belle's dress a bit of movement and a peek of her gumpaste petticoat underneath. Honestly I don't think anyone can wear a yellow ball gown ever again without making comparisons to this iconic dress!

Hand-sculpted sugar figurine in progress

Golden Sugar Shoe Cake

I created this gold gilded sugar shoe cake for American Cake Decorating Magazine'sAll that Glitters issue. The shoe is a replica of a design that I absolutely fell in love with by Giuseppe Zanotti.

Golded Sugar Shoe Pillow Cake

Sugar shoe cake closeup

All the gold leaves were individually hand cut and royal icing details were piped and painted with edible gold dust.

Gold sugar shoe cake zipper detail

Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Cap Cake

The 90s hold a lot of great memories for me, but some of the best were watching the Toronto Blue Jays win back to back World Series in '92 and '93. I remember cutting out all the newpaper articles I could find and posting them all over my walls. I was convinced I was going to marry Pat Borders one day and when my parents took my brothers and me to the victory parade I almost fainted when he smiled at me (or more realistically, when he looked in my general direction)!

Well that excitement in the city is back with the Jays in the playoffs again after more than 20 years, and I say what better way to celebrate SWEET VICTORY than with cake! Go Jays Go!!!!

Let's go Blue Jays!!!

Magenta Phalaenopsis Orchid Cake

I originally created this cake design as a surprise for my mother -- an avid gardener -- on her birthday. I also purchased an orchid plant and imitated the cellophane wrapping for the cake. When I presented her with both gifts, she asked why I had bought her two of the same plant!

Magenta Phalaenopsis Orchid

The terracotta pot cake was hand painted to have a distressed, aged patina.

Phalaenopsis Orchid Closeup

The gumpaste orchids are individually freehand cut and painted. I don't use a flower cutter because I believe gumpaste flowers look more real when they are imperfect and not uniform, as they are in nature.

Tim Burton Cake

This cake was inspired of course by the incredible artistry of Tim Burton. Each cake depicts one of my favourite moments from a Tim Burton flick set in a retro style tv set, and meticulously recreated in gumpaste, fondant and modelling chocolate.

It also took home the People's Choice and First Place Professional Division in Icing Inspirations' Cake Contest.

A cake homage to Tim Burton

Nightmare before Christmas Cake

Jack Skellington up to his shenanigans...

"...and what did Santa bring you honey?"

My favourite scene from the nightmare before Christmas when Jack Skellington decides to take over for Santa. Each retro TV cake was fitted with LED lights for an added TV effect.

Frankenweenie Cake

Vincent and Sparky in the attic...

Frankenweenie Cake - night shot

A (literally) sweet scene between Vincent and his beloved dog Sparky

The Red Queen

The queen and her sad little pig are made from gumpaste and modelling chocolate. The stain glass window is made out of gelatin and fondant.

The Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland - night shot

Ahh the days of wood veneered TV sets...

Boba Fett Cake

I made this cake for a true Star Wars fan.

The thing I loved most about this cake is that it's modeled after an object that's worn from age and, I'm guessing, some serious intergalactic battles! (I'm all about patina!) I don't know the story behind that dent but all I can say is, good thing Boba Fett was wearing a helmet!

Lego Captain America Avengers Cake

What happens when you combine Captain America and his Avenger friends with the world of Lego? Magic. That's what!

Lego Captain America Avengers Cake

This patriotic little lego man stood 14" tall and was made of vanilla cake with an Oreo cookies and cream buttercream filling. YUMMO!

Lego Captain America Avengers Cake

Gotta make sure the back decals are on point too!

Monster Cake

This cake was commissioned for a Monster Mash themed birthday party.

Monster Cake Sketch

Aside from the colour scheme, I was given creative freedom to design the monster as I wished.

I loved the idea of a round little guy with teeny tiny wings and oversized teeth.

Monster Cake

I love this little monster, from his oh so toothy grin to is little striped horns!

The little car is a replica of the birthday boy's favourite toy.

Monster Cake

This little guy could probably use a trip to the dentist!

Modelling Chocolate Teeth

He's got a real sweet tooth (or should I say, teeth)!

Tiger Baby Shower Cake

A baby shower cake fit for a future queen of the jungle!

Tiger Baby Shower Cake

My client's request for this baby shower cake was that she didn't want "just another boring, cutesy pink cake." Instead she wanted to channel the baby's future girl power by imagining that one day she would be the queen of the jungle. YASSS QUEEN!

Tiger baby shower cake

I'm gonna be a mighty queen!

Flight of the Conchords Cake

Flight of the Conchords is one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE shows. A passion I share with my sister-in-law. So when her birthday rolled around, I could think of no better way to celebrate than with a tribute to our favourite Kiwis, Jemaine and Bret (or is it Brit?). :)

Flight of the Conchords Birthday Cake

A cake for the most beautiful girl I have ever seen with a kebab!

Bret and Jemaine FOTC Cake

The moment I laid eyes on these two on HBO's Flight of the Conchords, I was smitten.

I fashioned them out of gumpaste, and lovingly drew and painted all the details by hand... sounds like something Mel would do!

Ballet Shoe Cake

This ballet pointe shoe cake was made for a ballerina's birthday. The delicate satin pink pointe shoes are filled with chocolate fudge cake and dark chocoate ganache, as is the hand painted faux-wood cake beneath.

Ballet Pointe Shoe Cake

Sushi Cake

A recreation of one of my favourite meals!

Sushi Cake

Dynamite and California Rolls

Sushi Cake

CF Martin & Co Guitar

This birthday cake was a scaled replica of a blues musician's favourite guitar.

CF Martin & Co. Guitar Cake

Curious George Cakes

Curious George is a pretty popular little guy among the kiddies. Here are a few of my most recent interpretations of this banana-crazed little monkey :)

The cake design process

My client's instructions were to combine all of her nephew's favourite things -- swimming; Curious George; and his giraffe stuffie -- into one huge birthday cake.

Starting with a sketch I began to form the cake piece by piece...

Curious George Swimming Cake

And the finished product! Curious George swimming cake complete with splashing water, a pool floaty for George and water wings for his favourite stuffed giraffe. Safety first kids!

Curious George Cake

Curious George has gone bananas for, well... BANANAS!

Curious George Sketch

I don't always do a sketch before starting a cake (e.g. when someone wants something super specific, like a Boba Fett helmet), but I always find it fun to go back and compare the finished cake with my original brainstorm to see if they are wildly different. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting carried away and adding more details than I originally planned. Other times I make adjustments based on how the 3D version is coming together... if I don't like the composition or colour schemes, I make adjustments as I go. This one came pretty close though!

Giant Acorn Cake

I love it when I get to create a cake that is so personal that only a select few understand the concept behind it. It's like being on the inside of an inside joke.

This cake was inspired by a story my client told me about how he affectionately began calling his wife "squirrel" because she would always put his things away before he had finished using them. I thought, what better way to thank a mama squirrel than with a giant acorn?

Giant Acorn Cake

Featured in the March/April edition of American Cake Decorating Magazine

American Gothic Cake

Sometimes the most interesting concepts come from a combination of seemingly disparate themes.

For this cake, my client was hosting a party for one of her colleagues who was just appointed to be a judge. She asked that the design combine a reference to the judicial appointment and life on a farm because the judge and his wife love animals and live on a farm.

Several brainstorming sessions later, I decided to model the cake after Grant Wood's famous American Gothic painting, only with the judge holding the scales of justice rather than a pitchfork.

Both characters were hand-sculpted out of modelling chocolate and gumpaste.